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Mason bee house maintenance #879290

Asked July 29, 2024, 3:59 PM EDT

I bought a mason bee house last year. Upon examination now (July 2004) I find some of the tubes blocked up with mud and some stilll empty. How do I idetify any "used" tubes, and when should I replace them? | Also, the tubes in this house are only about 3 to 3-1/2 inches long. Have I got a true mason bee house?? Thanks for our help. Lydia Pratt

Franklin County Ohio

Expert Response

Thanks for contacting us regarding your questions.  Mason bees are in the Osmia family, and are solitary bees.  More research is being done on them due to their use in pollinating orchards.  Penn State has a good article on them, and you can see how they do plug holes with mud.  These bees can be impacted by mites, and sanitation of their homes is important.  They said, "The most effective way to control mites and diseases is by providing mason bees with new or sanitized nesting materials each year. This is best achieved by removing the dormant cocoons from the nesting materials during the early winter months (in an unheated area). This is easily done in bamboo or reed sections by splitting them or by unraveling cardboard tubes but is impossible with wooden blocks."   It also talks about appropriate houses.  Here is the article:  https://extension.psu.edu/orchard-pollination-solitary-mason-bees

The houses are relatively simple to make, and you can replace some of the tubes with this method as well.  Here are the instructions from University of Illinois: https://extension.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/bee_house_instructions_final_asw.pdf

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